This invention relates to paint cans, and more particularly relates to an apparatus for clearing a paint brush of excess paint and for supporting a paint brush upon a paint can without dripping residual paint onto the paint brush handle, the paint can rim, or onto the floor and the like.
As is well known by those skilled in the art, painting typically is an inherently messy operation. It is a common practice by painters, to engage in a three-stage procedure while painting. First, the painter dips a paint brush into a paint can to deposit an adequate quantity of paint on the paint brush bristles. Second, the painter removes excess paint from the bristles by dragging the bristlesxe2x80x94on both sides of the brushxe2x80x94over an edge of the can. Third, the painter performs the painting operation with the usual concomitant paint waste and mess.
It will be readily appreciated that, if a painter fails to adequately remove excess paint from brush bristles prior to commencing painting, dripping of paint will occur. This time-tested procedure not only wastes paint, but also dirties nearby surfaces and objects, potentially causing health and safety hazards. For example, if a painter is painting an elevated surface, then using a brush containing excess paint will cause dripping of such excess paint either directly from the paint brush bristles or indirectly via the paint brush handle. Obviously, dripping paint under such circumstances is apt to jeopardize painters"" health. Indeed, since there is typically a linear relationship between painters"" hands and eyes and the object being painted, the eyes are particularly vulnerable to injury attributable to paint invasion or the like.
It is also well known in the art that paint cans are routinely constructed with a concentric groove atop the can for snugly receiving a friction lid. The lid is, in tum, constructed with a combination of a lip and trough configured to be received by corresponding paint can grooves that assure the securable closure of the paint can. While engaging in normal painting activities, a painter unavoidably causes paint to fall into this groove or trough during the brush-dragging process, which strives to remove excess paint from the bristles. Inevitably, particularly while painting for protracted periods of time, this trough will become saturated with paint, thereby causing further incursion of excess paint to be deposited upon the sides of the paint can and then communicated to adjacent surfaces and objects.
It will be appreciated that these infirmities commonly associated with painting may be further complicated by the paint brush handle and the paint can handle. When a painter uses a paint brush fraught with excess paint thereon, the painter will frequently introduce paint onto the both the paint brush handle and the paint can handle. For instance, excess paint located in the rim groove and trough tends to overflow down the side of the paint can onto the paint can handle when the paint brush is disposed in its normal horizontal resting position. This, of course, provides another source for paint to be inadvertently deposited onto a painter""s hands and clothing, and to generally cause a mess.
There have been several developments in the art to improve the painting operation involving the use of paint brushes and paint cans. These developments have generally sought to secure a paint brush to the paint can to avoid waste or spillage, or for the convenience of the painter. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,184,460, Linder discloses a device for holding a paint brush horizontally atop a paint can. Configured to be attached to a ladder, the Linder device teaches a horizontal sleeve that is attached to the lip of a paint can for supporting a paint brush.
As another example, Sobel, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,225, teaches a paint brush valet which is positioned by being attached over the brim of a paint can for supporting a paint brush vertically for drainage purposes. Snyder teaches, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,129, a paint brush keeper for preserving a paint brush during periods of non-use, wherein a plurality of closely-spaced internal circumferential grooves are situated near the bottom of the paint can for providing ridges on the exterior thereof. A removable flexible wire bracket, which is fitted within the can so that it may be snapped into a selected groove, is suspended into the can through a transverse hole in a paintbrush handle so that its bristles may be immersed into paint and the like stored in the can.
Other improvements in the art have introduced various clamp means for securing a paintbrush to a paint brush can and the like. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,994,335, Churan teaches a combined brush rest and wiper for being placed in an open paint can and which is serviceable for wiping excess paint from a paint brush and for holding the brush during idle periods. A single length of wire is bent in partially circular form with an upstanding inverted V-shaped bight formed near the free ends of the wirexe2x80x94downwardly curved and having looped terminals. The end portions of adjacent bights are configured to be straight to accommodate overhanging engagement with loops of an upwardly arched wiper strip. The ends of this spring-like wiper strip are downwardly and outwardly curled to present hook-like extremities. This strip is interfitted with a wire member and engaged under the channeled mouth rim of the paint can.
Braille, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,972,861 discloses a wiper apparatus comprising a spring member formed with an annular section and a raised straight section, with the annular section extending through more than half a circle and snapped into a groove on the paint can rim section. The straight section acts like a rod extending across the paint can""s open mouth and is situated for a wiping engagement with a paint brush wherein excess paint is wiped on the rod and is drained back into the paint can.
Ariss, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,683,553, discloses a bucket holder and wiper designed to wipe excess paint from a paint brush when used in conjunction with a step ladder. A brush wiper is mounted diametrically in the upper support of a paint can which is shaped in the form of a metallic rod. Suspension hooks are located at each end of this rod, which extend over the top of the paint can. When the hooks are engaged with the top of the paint can, its springs are tensioned to keep the wiper in place.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,353,555, Gore teaches a paint brush scraper mounted in and carried by a paint bucket to permit a painter to scrape off excess paint picked up during dipping operation just prior to the painter applying the wet brush to a surface. Constructed from a single piece of wire, this scraper is configured in a U-shape and rigidly held in place within the paint bucket. It is provided with two uprights at each terminating in straight extension which communicate with an ordinary electric contact clip for holding the scraper in place on the paint bucket""s rim.
Myers discloses a transversal brush wiper that includes double-loop members that clip onto a flange built into the paint can, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,355,549. These loops provide doubly bent, U-shaped end portions that are disposed to enable one branch of the loop to be inserted into a channel while the other branch engages the exterior surface of the flange. This flange is gripped firmly between the legs of the double loop. Prince teaches, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,109,803, a paint can adapted to have a pair of chordally disposed points offset to permit insertion of wiper ends. The friction closure has a wiper connected to the friction wall across the opening and below the top of the paint can, for allowing application and removal thereof. The wiper is secured to the paint can after it has been seamed to the paint can body so as not to interfere with the application or removal of the friction closure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,498,511, Smith discloses a paintbrush clamp designed to hold a plurality of paintbrushes in paint can of various sizes. The Smith clamp is designed to fit over the top edge of a paint can so that a paintbrush may be held vertically therewithin. Similarly, Embree teaches, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,489,875, a support consisting of a retractable clamp that holds a paintbrush vertically in a paint can.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,315,269, Mbrgillo discloses a paintbrush clamp holder that attaches to the lip of a paint can. Using a spring-operated clip-arm, this apparatus enables the multi-positioning of a paintbrush within the paint can by pivoting the arm. Similarly, Hannan, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,184,667, teaches a spring-loaded device that is positioned over a paint can lip and holds a paintbrush vertically in the paint can. Simons, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,039,497, discloses a spring-loaded apparatus that attaches to the lip of a paint can and is designed to vertically suspend a plurality of paintbrushes.
Notwithstanding these developments in the art, there appears to be no apparatus which provides a simple but fail-safe structure that may be expeditiously put in place on variously sized paint cans for draining excess paint from a diversity of paint brushes to avoid waste and spillage, and that also provides a means for supporting a paint brush atop the paint can during rest periods and the like. Thus, it would be advantageous to utilize an apparatus which provides an expeditious procedure for reducing paint waste and minimizes the mess commonly associated with painting. It would be further advantageous if there were a such an apparatus which could: be conveniently retrofitted to variously sized paint cans when a painting operation commencesxe2x80x94regardless of the size of the paint brush selected by the painter to accomplish the painting task.
Accordingly, these limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, wherein a paint can support apparatus is provided that is particularly useful for enabling a practitioner to use a paintbrush after excess paint has been drawn from the paintbrush bristles.
The present invention provides an apparatus for clearing excess paint from paint brush bristles and for draining this excess paint back into the paint can. The present invention teach a novel no-drip clip apparatus that comprises a circular member for securely clipping embodiments to a paint can rim, and a contiguous linear flusher member that is suspended across the paint can""s mouth. The present invention contemplates that a painter or like practitioner will use a suitable embodiment for reducing dripping of excess paint from the paint brush bristles onto the paint brush handle, the paint can rim, and, ultimately, onto nearby surfaces and objects during painting operations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for conveniently clearing excess paint from paint brush bristles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for clearing excess paint from paint brush bristles while simultaneously reducing incursion of paint onto the paint brush handle and into the annular groove disposed on the rim of a paint can.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for clearing excess paint from paint brush bristles thereby preventing causing a mess during painting operations.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for horizontally supporting a paint brush atop a paint can during idle periods.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with clip members that may be conveniently secured within the trough disposed upon a paint can rim.
It is another specific object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with a substantially circular member that may be conveniently inserted within the trough disposed upon a paint can rim.
It is yet another specific object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with handle members that may be conveniently grasped by a painter to insert the apparatus within the trough disposed upon a paint can rim or to remove the apparatus therefrom.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, wherein reference is made to the figures in the accompanying drawings.